Garden Update; Checking the Yields

by formerchef on August 16, 2010

It’s nearing the end of the summer and I’m wondering just how much has my garden produced after all the blood, sweat & tears (and water and money) I’ve poured into it. So far, the results have been pretty good (see below). It’s not done producing yet, though it does appear that some of the plants are nearing their end already.

Below are my harvest totals as of 8/15/2010. I tried my best to keep track (even made a spreadsheet) but I’m sure I missed some of the pickings so it’s safe to assume the actual harvest is slightly larger.

I’m going to do some research as to actual cost of these items if I were to buy them in a store or at the farmer’s market and in a future post will total and compare with what we spent on building and planting the garden with the yields and what it would have cost to purchase all this organic produce.

So what did I do with 129 lbs of vegetables? Ate some, gave some away, and preserved some in the way of freezing marinara sauce (about 2 gallons), ratatouille (about a gallon), pesto (6 cups), and zucchini (5 lbs). I was determined to have as little waste as possible and any waste there was went back into the compost bin.

*The tomato results have been mixed, depending on variety
Celebrity-Good performer, lots of fruit, just now putting out a second set
Champion -“Ok”, not as good as Champion
Yellow Boy-Disappointing, lots of leaves, but then all the fruit was very small and got blossom end rot.
Green Zebra-Small but very tasty tomatoes. Disconcerting color to some, but I like them.
Roma-Very small tomatoes, just a step above a large cherry
Black Russian-Disappointing yield
Brandywine-Amazing. Giant plant with many huge, pinkish tomatoes. Wonderful tasting too.

What do you think? Is the time and expense worth it or would it just be easier to go buy the produce as needed?

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It would be interesting to see the ROI but then you’d need to include the time spent and what that time is worth. Of course, then you need to measure the joy and satisfaction you get from gardening and eating home grown foods. Minus the stress the varmints cause. Plus the return your readers get from you sharing these stories.

Oh wow, look at that amazing, plump produce you grew! I can’t wait to finally own a home and be able to plant my own garden and grow things like this, but apartment living at the moment is prohibitive! Congrats on your amazing assortment of veggies and herbs, and thanks for sharing with us.

I just can’t put a price on having grown my own vegetables. They taste better, and some of them just can’t be found in markets. Armenian Cucumbers, Multi colored carrots, Brandywines and Black Krims. It’s also something I do with my wife and my oldest son.

I wonder myself if it’s worth it – this year I KNOW it wasn’t – between our hail storms and our flooding, my heirlooms didn’t make it TWICE. The only thing that worked were my herbs and peppers and very few cucumbers. For some reason, I’m just now getting okra. Have you tried planting Black Krims? They are my very favorite from last year.

Geez, I don’t know if I would call it worth it. On the other hand, you went all freaking out with your garden. I know I wouldn’t be that adventurous. Maybe start with a strawberry and simple tomato plant since I’ve never seen those be anything short of explosive at producing.

Probably the one veggie I go through the most that would make this worth it is zucchini. I have a hard time keeping them good in the fridge for very long and the frozen ones aren’t very yummy.

The time and hard work is worth it! If you buy a seeds it will only cost you $5 for it and it will give you a lifetime of produce rather than to buy in the grocery that will cost you everyday $1. Gardening is really worth it even if you asked the greatest people on earth.

I totally agree on rose! Time is worth it if you really focused on your goal t0o have a bountiful harvest every day or every week if you want too. It depends on different time that you planted the crops. Example you just planted tomato plants yesterday then next week you planted another tomato plant. In that case you will have different harvest time that will give you your everyday need of tomatoes. You also need strategy in your gardening chores.